One for the ages: Oilers beat Jackets 6-4

Oilers congratulate teammate Dustin Penner on his game-tying goal, his second of the night, midway through the third period vs. Columbus. The Oilers came from behind to win 6-4. (Photo by Andy Devlin / Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club)

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PRE-GAME

Preview Game Notes Head-to-Head Stats Comparison Game Program Video interviews Audio Interviews

PHOTOS

Click here for the photo gallery

VIDEO

Watch the highlights Post-game comments from Dustin Penner, Ales Hemsky, Ladislav Smid, Lubomir Visnovsky, Sam Gagner & Pat Quinn The Other Side: Rick Nash, Kristian Huselius, Mathieu Garon & Ken Hitchcock speak for the Jackets

AUDIO

Audio Highlights vs. Columbus   Dustin Penner Ales Hemsky   Ladislav Smid   Lubomir Visnovsky Sam Gagner Pat Quinn

THREE STARS

Dustin Penner, EDM - 2 goals, 5 points Ales Hemsky, EDM - 1 goal, 5 points Sam Gagner, EDM - 1 goal, 5 points

UPDATE

With the win, Edmonton improves to 6-2-1 and moves into a tie with their provincial rivals, the Calgary Flames, for fourth spot in the Western Conference.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Oilers head out on the road for a quick two-game weekend road trip, starting Saturday, Oct. 24 in Calgary. The game starts at 8:00pm and will be broadcast on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada. Edmonton's next home game is next Tuesday, Oct. 27 vs. Colorado. CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

by Jen Sharpe | edmontonoilers.com

Columbus was up 4-1 midway through Thursday night's contest, but nobody could anticipate the effect Edmonton's top line -- Dustin Penner, Sam Gagner, and Ales Hemsky -- could have on the game's bottom line. In the final 28 minutes, the trio produced three more goals and assisted on one other, resulting in a five-point night for Penner and Hemsky and three-point outings for Gagner and defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky.

For his impressive play-making abilities and two goals (including the game-tyer midway through the third), Penner was awarded first star and honoured by fans with a standing ovation and rousing chant as the team left the ice with a 6-4 win.

Penner and Hemsky's accomplishments marked the first time since March that two NHL teammates shared five-point nights (Tuomo Ruutu and Eric Staal for Carolina in Tampa Bay). The last time two Oilers accomplished such a feat was November 19, 1988 when Glenn Anderson and Jimmy Carson tallied five points each in Toronto.

FIRST PERIOD

Former Oiler Mathieu Garon got the start for the Blue Jackets, and less than one minute in, he got a rude welcome back from youngster Gagner. After receiving a sneaky backhand pass from Penner on Garon's blocker side, Gagner dug deep and wristed the puck top shelf to give the Oil an early 1-0 lead.

Edmonton owned the shot clock following the goal, but with seven minutes left in the frame, Columbus countered by swarming goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and adding three attempts to their tally.

Three minutes later, the Jackets assumed the shot lead and tied up the game. Although Khabibulin stopped Jakub Voracek's initial attempt, the rebound went from Kristian Huselius' stick to the inside of the right post, evening the score at one.

Shortly after the goal, Michael Blunden was called for tripping and the Oilers went on the powerplay, but only 45 seconds into the man-advantage, Penner took an interference minor and eight skaters resumed the battle.

Although four-on-four passed without a goal, the tie game was quickly interrupted. With only 10 seconds left in Penner's penalty and 23 on the clock, Raffi Torres got the go-ahead powerplay goal to give the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead heading into the second period.

630 CHED's Dan Tencer talks to Sam Gagner after the first period

SECOND PERIOD

Two minutes into the middle frame, Huselius and Voracek joined forces to double Columbus' lead. Voracek sent a cross-ice pass over to his soaring line-mate, and Huselius slapped the one-timer past Khabibulin to set the score at 3-1.

Consecutive Oilers infractions kept the home team on the penalty kill for nearly four straight minutes, and the 'Bulin Wall withstood the Blue Jackets attack and kept his club within two.

Although a second powerplay goal eluded the Jackets, a third even-strenth marker hit the back of the net when Jason Chimera fooled Khabibulin at 11:52. But 17 seconds later, Edmonton's top line teamed up to get that one back with a give-and-take play that concluded with Penner's sixth of the year.

Following the goals, Columbus decided to examine the 'H' section of the rule book -- high-sticking, hooking and holding, specifically -- to give Edmonton three straight powerplays, including a 17-second five-on-three.

The Oilers couldn't capitalize on the two-man-advantage, but 12 seconds later, Hemsky cradled the puck and patiently fired past Garon to get his team within one and vault himself and Penner into the game's three-point category.

After 40 minutes, the Oilers were up one shot (22-21) but trailed 4-3.

THIRD PERIOD

A second high-sticking minor to the Jackets four minutes into the final frame put the Oilers back on the powerplay. After producing three goals so far in the game, Penner, Hemsky, and Gagner went for number four -- and got it.

From 30 feet out, Penner snapped the puck past Garon for his second goal of the game and fourth point. The impressive display prompted Oilers fans to salute him with a standing ovation and produce the loudest, ear-piercing cheer of the year so far.

In the final 10 minutes of regulation and momentum on their side, that top line renewed the Oilers' early lead, but with a twist. With help from Penner and Hemsky, Visnovsky one-timed the go-ahead goal past Garon to put the Oilers up 5-4. The goal gave Visnovsky two points on the night, while his play-making pals notched their fifth points each.

The Oilers hit 30 shots soon after the goal, but a fourth Blue Jackets powerplay helped the visitors tally 32 soon after. The powerplay tables turned in the final three minutes of regulation, and with Chimera in the penalty box and Garon out of his net, Robert Nilsson floated the puck in on the empty net to seal a 6-4 win for the Oilers.